Exportation And Importation To And From Mexico Prohibited For The Time Being

Tonight, there are reports coming from Subteniente Lopez at the Santa Elena Border that products are not being allowed to be exported or imported to and from Belize and Mexico. So, what’s the rationale behind this? Well, turns out the license for the Agencia Aduanal, “Servicios Aduaneros Integrados,” which is the only broker agency for the importation and exportation of goods on the Mexican side of the border in Subteniente Lopez, has been suspended since Friday of last week until further notice. CTV3 News understands that the agency was suspended for no apparent reason. But the true question is, how does this affect commercial trade here in Belize? The brokers and businesspersons we spoke to today state that millions of money is being lost as they cannot carry their products, much less sell it when the trucks have been stationed at the border.

“The situation is that the agency was suspended and when it is suspended there is no other agency here, and so you cannot import nor export through Mexico through this border. I can’t import anything and they are trying hard from yesterday, today and tomorrow now they say maybe Friday but if Friday comes and nothing then we have to wait until next week Monday. I think another agency is trying to open but it is not as easy as how they say.”

Victor Castillo – Reporter

“What is the process for you to get a pedimento, I understand a pedimento, and it is a declaration here for the Customs there in Corozal, what is the process and how long does it normally takes for you to get this pedimento?”

BUSINESSMAN – ROMEL CUELLO

“The pedimento you can get it in one day, the company sends the invoice and then the agency process it and then the same day you can go and it is like a customs broker.”

Our news team will have in-depth coverage of this story in tomorrow’s newscast.

This confirms what I justv found out. The concreteing of the local streets in Buttonwood bay, and presumably in the rest of the city, has ceased from now 3 days ago..

I called Medina Construction who have this contract , who state that they have loaded trucks of cement in Mexico, who are denied crossing back into Belize because of Mexican customs paperwork. CISCO is also aware of the situation.Some one needs to sort this fast, or the construction industry will grind to a halt, with still more workers laid off.

Millions Being Lost Due To Present Situation At Mexican Border

Tonight, approximately 50 trucks remain parked at a parking area in the Santa Elena Border with destinations to Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. As we reported last night, since Friday of last week, import and export products were not being allowed to cross the border since its private broker agency; Agencia Aduanal, “Servicios Aduaneros Integrados,” which is the only broker agency for the importation and exportation of goods on the Mexican side of the border in Subteniente Lopez had its license suspended.

Today when reporter Victor Castillo visited the Mexican Customs authority, in an off camera interview, CTV3 News was made to understand that there are several reasons for the agency’s suspension. Licenciado Raymundo Loyola in charge of the Customs Department in Chetumal stated that the request of suspension was made by the ‘Servicio de Administracion Tributaria’ and the reason is one of three of the following; lack of information on the declaration form, a falsification on the document or a wrong address.

Loyola said that a solution to this will require the Agency to provide original documentation and while that is not being complied to, the importation and exportation will be suspended until further notice. We could not confirm what these documents are, since the Agency declined to comment on the matter. We will keep a close eye on this story as it develops.

Onions Rottening In Container Parked At The Border

For weeks we have been reporting on the negative impact of rains to the production of local scale onions for the country. And while the country has faced its share of losses in that agricultural sector, the importation of onions from neighboring Mexico was supplying the local marketing the meantime.

And with a halt on imports and exports from neighboring Mexico, today when Reporter Victor Castillo visited the border he came across a container full of onions with markings of its destination into Belize to recipient BMDC, which stands for the Belize Marketing and development Corporation.

This container was one of several trucks that have been unable to cross the Mexican border due to the Broker Agency license being suspended since Friday of last week.

And with tomorrow marking a full week that trucks have not been able to get clearance for their products to be imported into Belize, in this case, the perishable items are becoming rancid. Our attempts to get an estimated value for the products from Directors at the BMDC were unsuccessful as we were told that Mr. Silverio Marin was not in office today. What will become of the thousands of pounds of onions that remain stagnant at the Subteniente Lopez is anyone’s guess.

We will be following this story on our newscast tomorrow where we were informed that Marin would be in office and is the one with the answers to our questions.

Several importers of Mexican goods are stuck at the northern border unable to enter Belize since Friday last week. Arturo Cantún has the details.

ARTURO CANTUN REPORTING

“Approximately 50 cargo trucks filled with Mexican goods are parked at the northern border on the Mexican side. These include trucks with goods destined to Belize as well as Guatemala and Honduras. Since Friday, importers and exporters have been unable to get clearance for their goods as the license for the only custom brokers at the border on the Mexican side has been suspended by the Mexican’s Ministry of Finance. We spoke about the situation with Belize’s Honorary Consul in Chetumal, Licenciado Jorge Valencia.

JORGE VALENCIA

“The situation at the Mexican border is that the Customs Brokers’ licenses were revoked and since they are revoked, they cannot do any type of documentation either for importation or exportation because the system won’t accept the number they have as their license. So, until their licenses are placed in order again, they won’t be able to work. I spoke to some people earlier this morning at the Mexican customs and they are working to resolve it. What happened is that on Monday, it was a holiday in Mexico and this took place on Friday evening and since today is their first working day, they are seeing if they can resolve this as soon as possible. It is affecting Belizean importers because they cannot export from Mexico to Belize; all their goods are stuck at the border because there is a lack of customs brokers. I believe and I hope that it should be resolved by the end of the day or first thing in the morning.”

ARTURO CANTUN

“A few minutes ago LOVE NEWS was reliably informed that the Mexican Ministry of Finance has given the green light to another customer broker to start operating at the border. The agency has so far processed two importers with their cargo of goods. Mexican media had reported that the reason why the first custom broker’s license was suspended was because it omitted vital information on the declaration forms that were sent to Mexico’s Finance Ministry.”

IMPORTATION/EXPORTATION of goods between Belize and Mexico suspended

Today the Corozal Daily was at the Mexican border and Belizean businessmen continue to be agitated over a sensitive temporary halt of goods over the Mexican border that are the core economic activities in the area. The only custom Broker agency – SERVICIOS ADUANEROS INTEGRADOS, S.C. (SAI) for the importation and exportation of goods on the Mexican side of the border, has been suspended since Friday 24th. Goods and merchandise cannot be transported into Mexico, or from Mexico into Belize since the license for SAI has been and remains suspended.

The reason for the suspension by the Mexican authorities, or when it will be lifted, is not yet known. Marcelino Miranda of the Mexican Embassy in Belize has stated to the media that SAI, the custom broker agency on the Mexican territory, is a private company and has nothing to do with the Mexican Government. There are other customs brokers who can do similar duties in the area, or a company from Belize can step up to offer the same duties on the Belize side of the border, he said, adding that the Mexican Embassy can be approached for assistance if no customs broker is found.

We contacted a custom broker from Corozal at the border today and he said there is still no agency available on the Mexican border to process and clear goods. This leaves all importers and exporters from Belize to Mexico and vice versa at a stalemate with timing running out on some exporters who have paid for perishable goods but are unable to clear it.

The Corozal Daily noted a long line of Belizean businessmen and custom brokers at another agency on the Mexican border trying to find a quick solution to the stalmate. The Daily will bring you the latest in this current situation affecting our import/export between Belize and Mexico.

Importation And Exportation Problem At The Belize/Mexico Border Solved

Fifteen days that’s how long the importation and exportation at the Northern Border was put on halt due to the suspension of the license of the only Agencia Aduanal “SAI” at the Mexican Border in Supteniente Lopez. Tonight, the good news is that another broker agency has begun operations and is working tirelessly to release all cargo trucks that have been stranded for days. Reporter Victor Castillo has been following the story since last week and today he was once again at the Mexican border and filed the following report.

Victor Castillo – Reporting

Over the past days we have been reporting on the ongoing situation at the Belize/Mexico Border where products were not being allowed to be exported or imported to and from Belize and Mexico due to the suspension of license for the Agencia Aduanal, “Servicios Aduaneros Integrados,” which is the only broker agency for the importation and exportation of goods on the Mexican side of the border in Subeniente Lopez.

After sitting at the border for fifteen days, these containers, filled with a number of products including cement, steel and vegetables are finally being released for importation to Belize. The problem was solved with the opening of a new broker agency which started its operations on Friday last.

With the importation and exportation of goods returning to normality we managed to speak with Jesus Miguel Lara the director of the new agency, “Alfonso Bello Juarez”. Lara explained to us more in detail the entire operation.

In an off camera interview with CTV3 News last week, Licenciado Raymundo Loyola in charge of the custom department in Chetumal, told us that there are several reasons as to why SIA’s licenses was suspended including lack of information on importation and exportation documents, declaration and falsification of documents.

The suspension was requested by SAT. But while that problem has been resolved, the work is back logged and the process to handle approximately 80 to 90 containers will not be an easy task.

As for Servicios Aduaneros Integrados, CTV3 News understands that their license or Patente remains suspended until further notice.

Thousands Of Dollars Lost due To Importation/Exportation At The Border

While the problem of importation and exportation of goods at the Northern Border is finally resolved, the damage has been done and truth of the fact is it will take days before all the containers have been released. The 15 days interruption has caused a trickle effect on the economy of Belize with its rippling effects being felt by distributors down to the layman. Reporter Maria Novelo followed the story and filed this report.

Maria Novelo – Reporting

An unexpected shortage of cement has stunned the construction industry in the northern districts, delaying many projects; from small to large scale. And the present embargo is being blamed on the freezing of importing and exporting cargo trucks at the Mexican Border; where we understand, the license for trade of the broker agency, “Servicios Aduaneros Integrados,” has been suspended. It’s a suspension going on for fifteen days and today, the effects are being felt from the distributors to the average construction men, who are either unable to supply the cement or can’t build due to the shortage.

Vilma Cervantes– Owner, San Isidro Construction

“Since the 22nd that we have received a load of cement, we haven’t received any up to now and that is affecting my business very much because it is one of our main products, the business and it affects also our block making.”

Enrique Urbina Jr. – ASST. Director, Ricks Blocks And Tiles

“We got report that nothing was crossing which was more typical of the Mexican side because from time to time we have that problem, later on the next couple of days we heard that there was a strike between the Mexican brokers and the government officials. Every day there it the promise that it will get better, get better and every day is not betting better but getting worst so we here I am the maker of construction products, not only blocks but decorated block, banisters, inverted T-beams and everything that is associated with the construction and since this Thursday that went by I have ceased production because I cannot get cement from across the border.”

And while demand exceeds supply, thousands of dollars are being lost and many are out of jobs and production is at a standstill.

Enrique Urbina Jr. – ASST. Director, Ricks Blocks And Tiles

“Every day we’re losing big, not only in the staff but in the sales that we have pending and we are facing a big loss yes.”

Vilma Cervantes– Owner, San Isidro Construction

“It concerns us very much but there is nothing much we can do except to wait on what will be the outcome.”

Maria Novelo – Reporter

“Who is your supplier and how much you getting every week?”

Vilma Cervantes– Owner, San Isidro Construction

“My supplier is Maya and we getting about three loads per week.”

Enrique Urbina Jr. – ASST. Director, Ricks Blocks And Tiles

“My problem as a business person is that I don’t only depend on the cement but I am also the maker of Sky Pur Purified Waters and we do get our labels, our caps, our bottles from the Mexicans as well and all of that too has been stalled at the border as well so even that is a problem for me, if I happen to run our I will have another problem in my hands.”

Officially what we got from the Embassy of Mexico in Belize is that because it is a private matter, it does not concern the Mexican government. Many are hopeful for a resolution to the issue.

Vilma Cervantes– Owner, San Isidro Construction

“I just hope the situation improves so that we can supply our customers and continue giving them the best service we always do.”

Maria Novelo – Reporter

“Are you getting a lot of complains from your customer who are saying well, why don’t you have?”

Vilma Cervantes– Owner, San Isidro Construction

“Well, the customers understand the situation so we don’t have complained but everybody is very anxious to get the cement so that they can continue with their projects.”

Enrique Urbina Jr. – ASST. Ditector, RICKS BLOCKS AND TILES

“The economy is not doing so good at the moment, everyone is claiming for discounts and the competition is right behind you, this all the factors that we have to put in together to see what exactly we can do. There is the option that we can probably negotiate with our supplier and how best we getting involve because right now it is only the Mexicans being involve but we don’t hear the Belizeans putting pressure on the issue and I think as the days goes by and the crisis continues to get big everyone will start running a little bit more worried than usual and I think action will have to be taken from the higher authorities.”

Because cement is a primary ingredient for making concrete, the shortfall could impact many more homebuilding projects, unemployment, business loss and put a dent in the revenues generated from the imports and exports of products to Belize.

The ones taking the hardest hit are the small time contractors who as the saying in kriol goes, ‘ketch and kill’ to put bread on their table. Both of the major distributors we spoke with say so far, with each passing day, thousands of dollars are being lost.